Don’t confuse enthusiasm for passion.
Enthusiasm is nice. You can’t help but get excited being in the same room with someone who is “really, really enthusiastic”. It’s fun. It feels great. But it’s not passion.
Passion isn’t about personality, and it isn’t infectious.
Passion does not rub off on you while you’re working with someone who is passionate about what they do. You might even think the guy is a little nuts because he’s so “passionate” about something that you simply don’t get.
Passion is about believing. Believing strongly, deeply and completely.
Before you can believe strongly, deeply and completely, you need something to believe in. It has to be something that drives you, inspires you; something that gives you a true sense of purpose.
Passion is ignited by Purpose.
Purpose comes from the centre of your universe. The primordial soul soup. You feel it in your gut. It’s based on your core values and drives your vision of what’s possible.
But Purpose doesn’t really mean much if you can’t transform it from a feeling into something you can put a framework around to help you venture forth and pursue it. Otherwise it can’t be a passion. It might be something you’re enthusiastic about, but it’s not passion. Passion needs to be fulfilled. Passion is ignited by Purpose, and the only way to discover your purpose is by doing some deep thinking.
Deep Thinking clarifies Purpose.
It allows you to put your arms around it, and equally important, gives you the language to communicate it. That gives you the opportunity to work with others to build on it, evolve it, create strategy to bring it to life and watch as more people in your company begin to share that belief.
Deep Thinking clarifies Purpose which ignites Passion.
Deep Thinking is a tactical step in which you decide what, how, when and who will actively work on figuring things out. It’s one of the conditions that creates the conditions for success of your company.
Deep Thinking
How well your organization deliberately seeks, shares and uses insights to understand what’s possible and how to get there.
Purpose
How well your management builds on your organization’s Core Values to explore possibilities and form a vision, mission and strategy that fulfills your Purpose.
Passion
How strongly your people believe that their own Purpose and Core Values align with those of your organization.
